COMPUTER AIDED ANALYSIS OF MEDICAL, ULTRASOUND-ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC IMAGES

Abstract

Ultrasound echocardiography is widely used clinical technique, but images obtained using current technology are still processed manually with semi-automated methods. In contrast to this, the newly developed system works in an automated way, first obtaining a series of long and short axes views of the heart synchronised by the ECG in real time, then processing them off-line. After detection of the internal edges of the left ventricle, the system determines the short/long axes areas, diameters, calculates the volume of the left ventricle frame by frame and, based on this, the ejection fraction for each cardiac cycle. The developed system is currently being tested and the results correlate well with data determined by other methods.